Penguins vs. Golden Knights Odds, Picks, Predictions: Eichel's Return Means More Offense

Jack Eichel's return to the lineup should give the Vegas Golden Knights a boost for Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Read on for our best Penguins vs. Golden Knights pick based on top odds.

Vegas center Jack Eichel has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury against Philadelphia on November 9. He will make his return to the lineup in Thursday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Eichel has been a force when healthy, scoring 13 goals and 29 points, with 100 shots on goal, in 27 games. The Golden Knights have outscored opponents 30-12 at even strength with Eichel on the ice.

Both the Golden Knights and the Pittsburgh Penguins are dealing with injuries on the blueline and that could lead this game to a higher total.

Here is our best Penguins vs. Golden Knights NHL pick (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Penguins vs. Golden Knights Game Info

• Date: Thursday, Jan. 5, 7 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+, ATTSN-RM, ATTSN-PT
• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Check out our complete list of NHL odds here!

Penguins vs. Golden Knights Odds Analysis

The consensus moneyline opened with the Penuins as favorites, priced at -125. Even though 67% of the money has come in on the Golden Knights, the line has shifted to -118 for Vegas.

The consensus total opened at 6, at -110 for the Over and the Under. With 82% of the tickets and 89% of the money on the Over, the consensus at Pregame.com sits at -115 for the Over and -105 for the Under.  

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Penguins vs. Golden Knights Pick

Penguins-Golden Knights Over 6 ⭐⭐⭐

The Pittsburgh Penguins, winless in five games, head into Vegas as a mediocre team missing their starting goaltender.

The Penguins are averaging 3.09 goals for per 60 minutes on the road, which ranks 14th. They are allowing 3.19 goals against per 60 minutes on the road, which ranks 15th.

With Tristan Jarry injured at the Winter Classic game in Boston, Casey DeSmith is likely to get the start at Vegas. While DeSmith has been a solid backup throughout his career, he has clearly been No. 2 on Pittsburgh’s goaltending depth chart.

Pittsburgh is also missing defensemen Kris Letang and Jeff Petry, who rank first and second, respectively, among Penguins in time on ice per game.

Although the Vegas Golden Knights struggle to score on home ice, getting their top center back from injury ought to help. Vegas is scoring 2.67 goals per 60 minutes at home, which ranks 28th, but getting Eichel back from injury should give them a more potent attack.

The area for vulnerability in Vegas is on the blueline, where they are missing three regulars – Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, and Zach Whitecould. Theodore and Martinez rank second and fourth, respectively, in average time on ice for Golden Knights defensemen.

That is a defense that Pittsburgh’s forwards can exploit and push this towards a higher the Over.

Penguins vs. Golden Knights Best Odds

FanDuel: Over 6 (-110)

With the total at 6 across the top sportsbooks, the only variation on the board is that FanDuel is charging -110 for both the Over and the Under, while the rest have nudged the price on the Over to -115, compared to -105 for the Under.

The return of Eichel is probably responsible for the slight move towards the Over in this game and it seems unlikely that there will be other factors to dramatically affect the total.

Penguins-Golden Knights pick made 1/5/2023 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

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